6 - 12 March 2003 [628]
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Sharon's winding road
Last week Sharon said he was prepared to make "painful concessions" for peace. Nothing could be further from the truth, writes Graham Usher in Jerusalem
Beware the ides of March
How far can Washington push the Security Council? Ayman El-Amir looks into the mathsNDP march
Haifa bombing
Tens of thousands gathered yesterday before Cairo's International Stadium to join a huge march organised by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to protest an American- led war against Iraq...
At least 10 people were killed and more than 20 injured when a Palestinian blew himself up in a bus in the northern Israeli city of Haifa yesterday at 2.40pm, Israeli public television reported...
A harmonious protest
Have the large government-sanctioned anti-war rallies of the past week managed to calm the tension between the government and political activists? Gihan Shahine gauges the moodThe sound of civil silence
Why hasn't civil society been able to mobilise public action against the war? Aziza Sami looks behind fencesFocus on Iraq
The war on Iraq -- and its ramifications in different spheres -- dominated parliamentary discussions this week. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsSecret vote
A somewhat sudden by-election in Abdeen strips the sole Liberal Party MP of his parliamentary seatBibliotheca blaze stopped in time
A fire at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was quickly contained. Finding the cause, reports Dena Rashed , may take longerNewsreel
On 27 February, the Sohag Criminal Court sentenced two men to prison and acquitted 93 others, in the retrial of the so-called "Al-Kosheh" case involving Muslim-Coptic Christian clashes...Devil in the details
Sudanese peace talks resumed in Kenya this week with a special focus on marginalised regions, writes Gamal NkrumahThe other war for Iraq
Most of the world is awaiting the war to come. In Gaza, it has already arrived, writes Graham Usher in JerusalemCommunal pitfalls
More than ever before Palestinians in the Galilee need to see through the trap of "divide and rule". Jonathan Cook reports from the village of RamaBringing peace to Somalia
Dina Ezzat explores the Arab League's new mandate to solve the Somali crisisSyrians vote
Syria wound up two days of elections on Monday, its first legislative elections since President Bashar Al-Assad took office in 2000...Chirac! Visas!
Nasr El-Kaffas reports from Algiers on French President Jacques Chirac's historic visit to France's former colony
Exile fury
Calls for Saddam Hussein to resign cause a diplomatic incident in Doha. Dina Ezzat reportsSauce for the gander
UN disarmament institute head Patricia Lewis tells Dina Ezzat that non-proliferation applies not only to IraqCollateral damage
In addition to the threat of damage from military action to Iraq's outstanding ancient monuments and sites, a war on Iraq could leave the country's heritage open to looting in the chaos following the first military strikes, writes David Tresilian from ParisThe natural catastrophe of war
Human beings are not the only victims of military conflict. Guy Jobbins reports on the threat faced by the environmentHell-bent on battle
With war a forgone conclusion, the issue now becomes post-Saddam arrangements -- and whether the US can go it alone, reports Khaled Dawoud from WashingtonThe answer is 'no'
The decision to prevent US troops from deploying in Turkey has thrown war plans against Iraq into disarray, reports Gareth Jenkins from Istanbul"It is not just about Iraq"
The Arab world stands on the brink of disaster, Iraqi Foreign Minister Nagui Sabri told Dina EzzatIraq's oil: future prospects
Among the many uncertainties about the future of Iraq's oil industry in the aftermath of another war, there is at least one certainty, write Walid Kadduri and Gerald Butt: there will be no overnight oil bonanzaThe 'Great Debate'
A backbencher rebellion in the British House of Commons made for highbrow entertainment, but cannot sway a prime minister who has already set his course, writes Nyier AbdouPeace cities
As the Bush administration moves quickly on the path towards war with Iraq, more and more American cities are taking a stand by passing anti-war resolutions, writes Anayat Durrani in Los AngelesPlans for the day after
Iraqi opposition groups concluded their four-day conference in Salahuddin, in northern Iraq, last Sunday, by setting up a six-member interim council...An early letter to General Tommy Franks
From Saadi Youssef (Poet from Mesopotamia)The 15th Arab summit, a one-day meeting on the Iraq crisis held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh last weekend, concluded its work by calling for a peaceful outcome to the crisis, setting up a special Arab committee to intervene directly with all sides. Al-Ahram Weekly staff were there
End of the road
With Egypt having worked hard to hold an Arab summit to discuss the Iraq crisis, few of its participants believed the meeting could avert Washington's drive to war, writes Nevine KhalilTwin routes to an uncertain peace
With some Arab states trying to secure a peaceful end to the Iraq standoff by encouraging Saddam to go into exile, others are pursuing a deal with the UN. Dina Ezzat reports from Sharm El-SheikhSwan-song for Arab unity
With the Arab representatives at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit appearing to speak different languages, the region might already be going through profound changes even before a war against Iraq, writes Amira HoweidyPalestine sidelined by Iraq
Though the Palestinian issue was item number three on the agenda at this year's Arab summit, it seems to have been item number 10 in the minds of Arab leaders. Soha Abdelaty reports
Pound pressures
An apparent lack of faith in the local currency continues to undermine the value of the pound, writes Niveen WahishAirline tickets skyrocket
The plunging Egyptian pound has led to skyrocketing air-ticket prices. Amira Ibrahim reportsShining its way through
There is much that needs to be done for the Egyptian ceramic tile industry to compete in world markets, writes Khaled Rashed
Phantoms of the Chechen opera
Why does the US brand Chechen liberation groups as "terrorist organisations", asks Shohdy Naguib in MoscowBridging the Cypriot divide
In a final bid to resolve the Cypriot political impasse, the UN has stepped up its efforts to reunite the divided island, reports Michael Jansen from NicosiaKoreans close in on Cobra Ball
With its diplomatic and military resources focused on a punitive strike against Iraq, Washington appears to be determined to downplay or brush aside any possible clash with North Korea...A prize catch
Pleased as punch with its most recent crack-down on "terrorists", the Musharraf administration is tightening the noose on Al-Qa'eda fugitives. Iffat Idris reports from IslamabadSaving India's sacred cow
Once a bastion of secularism and tolerance, India's Congress Party now also panders to militant Hindu chauvinist sentiments, reports Sudhanshu Ranjan from New DelhiBare it all
A new national system to prescreen air travellers for security risks could mean sacrificing the privacy of passengers, reports Anayat Durrani from Los Angeles'Haven't we had enough?'
For the first time in 23 years, Afghanistan is not at war. Negar Azimi discusses the future of the country with Afghan refugees in Cairo
By Negar Azimi
Shadow of the summit
Ibrahim Nafie reviews the achievements, and likely impact, of Saturday's Arab summitWho is in charge?
A tiny, unelected group, supported by powerful, unrepresentative minorities, writes Edward SaidUnipolarity, multipolarity...and the impending war
As the Iraqi crisis reaches its most critical stage, Mohamed Sid-Ahmed asks: can war still be averted?America's campaign of alienation
On Saturday, 15 February, a man protesting against a potential United States- led attack on Iraq waved a US flag with a Nazi swastika emblazoned on it, as President George W Bush was likened to Adolf Hitler...Beyond miracles
There is no stopping the build-up to war, and its objectives are clear for all to see, writes Ahmed Abdel-HalimPower vacuum
What the World Bank says is perhaps less interesting than what it does not say, writes Galal AminLost credentials
Before preaching democracy around the world the US would do well to put its own house in order, writes Nader FerganyPolitics of oil
American seizure of Iraqi oil following a war against Iraq would spell disaster for all Arab economies, bringing back memories of the colonial-era pillage, writes Ahmed El-Sayed El-NaggarDividing mankind
Is the Iraq standoff evidence that the world is wracked by a clash of civilisation? M Shahid Alam explores this train of thoughtSound and fury
Whose future? What future? Azmi Bishara strains to find an answerEditorial:
War versus inspection
The battle between these two will take place this week, in the UN Security Council chamber, when the US and UK try to pass a new UN Security Council resolution authorising the use of force against Iraq...Close up
Imploding boxes
A few days before the Arab summit I was in Dubai and then Beirut...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
A movement is born
Some 30 million people, in 700 cities around the globe, took part in protest marches on the same day and with the same goal -- to oppose war and American attempts to impose its hegemony by force...
Cultural globalisation
The cultural arena appears at the moment to be occupied by two camps...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: JOSHKA FISCHER
A modern Isis stalks
Nehad Selaiha follows Naguib Sorour's Na'ima on her quest for Hassan's headless body at Al-HanagerIn progress: Playing it wide
Beatrice Kombe started dancing in 1989, working with Ivory Coast-based groups like Ten-20 and La Kimodo...Plain Talk
Writers and artists, always at the spearhead of revolutions, are now giving a voice, and a resonant one at that, to the movement against war with Iraq...
By Mursi Saad El-DinCalling cards
Hani Mustafa speaks to Palestinian filmmaker Nizar Hassan about his latest film, Ijtiyah (Invasion), which will open this week at the Creativity CentreNights to remember
Amal Choucri Catta cheers Cairo Ballet's latest starBriefs
Lucy, the belly-dancer turned mainstream actress, is currently rehearsing in preparation for her first appearance on the stage of Al- Hanager..
A place in the city
Youssef Rakha seeks out a community of twoSufra Dayma: No-Bake Cornflake Chews
Weekly recipeMood Swings: Dangerous drugs
We were at a social dinner and the man sitting on my left, an American living in London, said "Marx was dead wrong when he wrote that religion is the opium of the masses...Restaurant review: Simply Yummmmm!
Yasmine El-Rashidi "mmmms" her way through a midnight feast at a deli with franchises around the worldCairo from the air
Al-Ahram Weekly photographer Khaled El-Fiqi took to the air this week to capture unique images of Cairo, which Jill Kamil describes from another perspective
By Khaled El-Fiqi
Uncertain future
Eighteen weeks on, the leadership of the Egyptian premier league is on tenterhooks. Eric Asmougha explainsHalf - time: Do we want it?
Is Egypt still keen on hosting the 2010 World Cup? Even though the tournament is the premier showpiece in football on the world stage, there are serious concerns about how serious we are in wanting to stage it...Worth it
Legends collided at the Millennium Stadium for the final of the much-maligned Worthington Cup...From the sidelines: Don't tell the head what to do with the feet
Is Egypt still keen on hosting the 2010 World Cup? Even though the tournament is the premier showpiece in football on the world stage, there are serious concerns about how serious we are in wanting to stage it...Briefs
Egyptian striker Mido will not feature for Ajax for the rest of the season after another dispute with the club...Being beautiful
Beauty tips were in vogue in 1931 when they were offered in Al-Ahram by a woman from the Levant. Jamila Khouri advised women what to do if they wanted to look like Greta Garbo. From the newspaper's pages of that year, Professor Yunan Labib Rizk sees how to make a body beautiful
By Yunan Labib RizkMerely players
Federico Sangirardi Quinto di Wardal
By Nigel Ryan
Pack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz